WILKES-BARRE, PA (July 9, 2024) -- On Tuesday afternoon, the King's College athletic department and wrestling program welcomed back one of their own as Aaron Perez will join the staff ahead of the 2024-25 season as Assistant Wrestling Coach and Intramural Director.

"Having the opportunity to return to King's in any capacity is truly a blessing, and I am excited to get to work here with our student-athletes," said Perez. "I see a solid foundation has once again been laid at King's through the efforts of the existing wrestling staff, and I am confident that I will be able to aid in building this program alongside Coach Mazzocchi, Coach Turner, and Coach Reilly. I also look forward to being an asset to the King's College community as a whole by providing intramural opportunities for those looking to stay active during their time on campus."

A 2015 graduate of King's College, Perez was a three-year starter for the Monarch wrestling program, primarily in the 125 and 133 weight classes. He was also a MAC Academic Honor Roll recipient in his time at King's.

The local Dallas, Pa. product has spent the past 10 years since leaving King's as a teacher and coach at the high school level in the Bay Area of California. In his time at Freedom High School, Perez helped produce the program's first California State Champion along with multiple state medalists, state qualifiers, regional champions, and various other local honors. His student-athletes also earned a variety of scholastic honors throughout his coaching tenure for their efforts in the classroom as well.

In addition to his coaching experience on the West Coast, Perez served as club director of the Golden State Wrestling Club and is a certified USA Wrestling Bronze coach. With this certification, Perez has coordinated and coached USA Wrestling events at the local, state, and national level and helped guide wrestlers who qualified for the California National Team and Cadet World Team.

"Aaron shows a tremendous amount of passion and professionalism when it comes to coaching wrestling," stated Head Coach Christian Mazzocchi. "He brings a decade of experience to the coaching staff after a successful tenure at Freedom High School in California. Aaron understands the mission and standards of this program that have been built since the 1960's and wants to continue the rebuild of this program and see the success come full circle. As an alumnus, he is all in and wants to continue to elevate the status of King's wrestling to what it once was. We are confident in his abilities and believe he will have an immediate impact on this program. We are extremely elated to begin working with him."

Perez will have a major role in recruiting student-athletes, providing academic advisement, assisting with technique, and organizing practices in his role as assistant coach. He will assist in every aspect of the program where he is best needed, including social media output and fundraising as well.